The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-10


the good of the people 1t is not
Democracy for few villains to alb
stracr the tally sheets from lawful custody
and charge the votes cast for one man to anoth-
er man. for whom the voter had no intention OF
sting his vote. That is neither Democracy
nor Repu0iicanisnl. That is forgery aud high
handed rascality The man, set of men, en-
gagged In IL -flies to good government and
a disgrace to any party.
1T gives me pleasure to recall what the late
Nice-president Hendricks. the distinguished
statesman and honored Democratic leader, SAID
on this sUoioet. In his Inaugural address when
elected Governor. he stroye 70 i'm press the mem
bers Of the General Assembly with the impor-
lance Of entrepching the baliot-box with all tue
safeguards OF the law, the following worcs;
The laws regulating our elections require your
special ienfion They do not restrain the corrupt,
nor protect tie votes OF the people Our eiections
must not become reproach. Their result must ex
press the Will ef the people. Our system must De
made so efficient TO guarantee purity in the con-
duct and management of the elections. and also TO
inspire and establish public confidence When tie
people know that political result has been fairly
brought about all discomfort disappears; they cheer
fully acqussce, and yield entire obedience to the au
thority thereby established.
'Without presumng to dictate all the provis-
ions essential to fair elections, he named the
following as first and indispensable:
"a fair and real representation upon the board of
election of officers of all political parties having
didates to be voted for
above all. in conclusion, he urged:
1.-The exclusion of money as an influence and power
grom the elections. If in the contests for power.
money shall become stronger than the people, viii
have the worst government possible. 1t will be
proach to us all when wealth buy what the lofti-
est talent and the purest virtue cannot attain
''You must have observed that in the first
clause the lamented Hendricks dwelt upon these
points:
Our elections must not become a reproach Their
results must express the will of the people Our sys
tenn must be made so efficient as to guarantee purity
IN the conduct and management of the elections and
also to inspire and establish public confidence.
'Now. let me ask you my friends, if the con-
auct and management of the late election in
Marion county were calculated to inspire and
establish public confdenceF Verify, if our
Democratic chieftain had been alive and had ut
bered such sentiments after the November
election, he, too, would have been read out of
the party, and the rascals would have protested
against his appointment to the police commits
sionership. had his name been proposed.
''Do these political miScreants bear in mind
what his EXcellency, Governor Gray, has said on
the subject namely:
HE who makes false count OF the ballots, or
alsifes the record does any other that unlaw.
gully defeats the judgment of the people at the ballot
3ox, is to the government and commits
treason against 1t in much less manly way than the
man who openly defes its powers and fires upon its
flag. In the latter there may be honesty of
vcton at least courage bat in the former there is
redeeming feature
Governor Gray is right when he saws such
man have no redeemng features declare here
the man, set of mon. who by such acts inten-
tionally defeat the will of the people. ex-
pressed st the ballothox, not Democrats.
Calling themselves Democrats does not make
them Democrats. They are felons sappinG at
the very foundation of our free rnment.
and | read the rascals out of the party. l here
quote note of warning that is pertinent from
Governor Gray as follows:
"'When the people become convinced that the decs-
ion the balotbox longer expresses their honest
Judgment they will cease TO vote and take interest
in the election When that condition of affairs arrives
we will be ut the beginning of the end of free
situtions The casting OF the ballot the most sacred
duty that the American citizen has to perform
"Need add. the right to have that vote re-
spacted is just sacred? To defeat the will of
the people 1t is not always necessary that certain
acids erasures should be used to divert the
vote cast from the proper channel. The will of
she people may be defeated by the majority ia
congress or by one branch of the State Legisla-
Sure expelling by brute force the eligible man
elected by n majority of the people and by in
stailing in his place some fellow whom the peo-
pie voted against by a large majority. One
method is quite undemocratc and unamer-
lean as the other The man who uses the eraser
or acids is the boider man. The other is cow
ard, who shields himself behind the right of the
Legislature to judge of the election of its own
members. The one is forger the other is per-
iurer That is the plain English of it. But,
repeat, all this rascality is excused on the plea
that it was practiced by the Republicans. Is i,
held IN law that the commission of crime by one
person excuses its commission by another9 No
no; SO ineXorable the demands of Justice tina
it is hardly possible to right wrong by we'll
doing. One wrong certainly cannot justify an
other wrong.
II have been Democrat continuously since
1854, because I have believed the Democratic
party is ard was better than the Republican
party; that in its principles and workings it is
better exponent of the faith of the fathers; bu
If Democrats justify the stuffine of ballot boxes
forging and tampering with tally sheets, ant
a1f folc f,ip al hao,
Republicans have done it, is it not fellow Dem
ocrats, merely choice Of evils so far as parties
are concerneds 1t is not proposition 10 lie en-
tertained for one moment There is ssnti
fneut to the contrary that finds expression il
such words as the following from Hon J. B
Stoll. editor OF the South Benz Daily Times:
The Democratic party cannot commend itself t.
popular favor by doing that which Democrats iustl
and Indignantly denounced infamous. 1t is RICH
ard proper to exhaust all honorable and lawful moth
ods to retain What is rightfuy due u.s. but when W,
useessy and in defiance of right and justice pursu
course thG- is on par with the most censurabl
acts of our opponents only give the lie to on
professions but become equally stepped in politca
sin and ipt1uity.
Such, gentlemen, are the sentiments of on
OF the purest abest and most Jealous Demo
cratic editors in the State. / am in hearty &C
cord with his utterances. and will say further
that ii the Democratic party cannot eschew III
evils of the Republican party, and pursue
yurer and more patriotic line OF policy, it is hgl
time IL were going into political liquidation. T.
the charge that in accepting place on the com
mittee of one hundred | am following Repub
tcans, l would like to point a moral to thos
Democrats, who, as has been said before, tall
Of paying tho Republicans in their own coin
What could be more following of Republicans
In Inc worst sense OF the term, than this plea O
having adopted Republican fraudulent methods
II will discriminate further | will add, tina
If to belong to this honorable committee is to b
following Republicans, know that they and
are on the side of right and justice, and
greatly prefer TO follow the Republicans wheI
they right to follow men, claiming to b
Democrats, who are wrong. My friends, fee
IL TO be an honor to be thus associated with
City honorable. law abiding Rennhlicans and